Courtney Celebrates Revolution Wind First Power Delivery in Speech on House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in a speech on the House floor, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) celebrated the Revolution Wind offshore wind energy project's first power delivery to New England's energy grid, which occurred on March 13th, 2026.

"At a time of tight supply and rising energy costs, adding hundreds of megawatts of electrical capacity is an obvious way to reduce costs rather than just offloading the burden onto energy users," Courtney said.

"As our economy is reeling today from the oil and gas aftershock of the war in Iran, the news this weekend that offshore wind can provide a reliable, affordable source of energy that is produced in America for American energy consumers is hopefully going to force a reconsideration of the attack on renewable energy by [the Trump] Administration," Courtney continued.

To watch and download the full floor speech video, click here.

BACKGROUND

The Revolution Wind project will supply reliable, year-round energy to Connecticut ratepayers at nine cents per kilowatt-hour over the 20-year term, less than half of the current regional energy price as calculated by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

In total, Revolution Wind will supply energy to 350,000 homes in Connecticut and Rhode Island and is expected to save ratepayers half a billion dollars per year, according to analysis by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Trump Administration made two failed attempts to cancel the Revolution Wind Project in August 2025 and December 2025. Both orders cited vague national security concerns despite the project having already been reviewed and vetted by the Department of Defense as detailed in a 2023 Record of Decision and a December 2024 letter from the Department of Defense which states that "the Department of Defense has found that construction of the Revolution Wind project would not have adverse impacts to DoD missions in the area." Both orders by the Administration were rejected by federal courts.

In September 2025, Congressman Courtney successfully led a bipartisan rejection of a measure in the U.S. House of Representatives which would have further delayed the Revolution Wind project.

On March 13th, Revolution Wind officially began providing power to New England's energy grid.

FULL FLOOR SPEECH TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, as this headline on the whiteboard proclaims, we in New England received welcome news on Friday that after years of hard work, as well as massive investments by both the private sector and the government, a new reliable source of energy for our electricity grid was officially turned on.

This project, known as Revolution Wind, will add 700MW that will power over 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

At a time of tight supply and rising energy costs, adding hundreds of megawatts of electrical capacity is an obvious way to reduce costs rather than just offloading the burden onto energy users.

This project is locked into a 20-year contract price of $0.09 per kilowatt hours, at a time when the average price from other sources to the region's grid is $0.30 per kilowatt hour.

Obviously, this is a beneficial response and a solid solution to address New England and our nation's high-cost economy.

Even more significant is the fact that this power source is not at the mercy of the global fossil fuel markets that have skyrocketed the cost of home heating oil and gas at the pump since the start of the war in Iran 16 days ago.

Home heating oil in Connecticut today is $5.10 per gallon, up from $4.28 just last week and $3.74 a gallon a year ago.

Gas at the pump is going for $3.65 a gallon. A month ago, it was $2.90.

Mr. Speaker, the men and women who have been hard at work at the State Pier in New London, Connecticut, for the last six years, transforming a decrepit, underutilized dock into a state-of-the-art port that can handle massive cargo carriers delivering enormous towers, blades and the nacelles that connect the towers and the blades. Sensors are mounted on the nacelles to detect wind speed, which then moves the blades into the wind to maximize output.

It is ingenious.

Union operating engineers, electricians, and laborers kept this project moving forward despite the persistent hostile obstruction of the Trump Interior Department that issued two illegal halt work orders in 2025.

The Department's orders were soundly rejected by federal district courts in Washington, DC, and Virginia.

The Department's unfounded claims that Revolution Wind posed a national security threat were decisively and swiftly dismissed given the fact that the Department of Defense, in consultation with the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard, thoroughly examined this project and issued a permit in December 2024.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter dated December 13th from the Assistant Secretary of Defense, which found that this project will, "not have an adverse impact on DoD missions in the area."

Mr. Speaker, I think all of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states owe a huge thank you to Judge Royce Lamberth, the Reagan appointee who lived up to his oath and twice asserted the power of the judiciary, a co-equal branch of government, to rein in the Administration's ludicrous, harmful abuse of executive power.

As our economy is reeling today from the oil and gas aftershock of the war in Iran, the news this weekend that offshore wind can provide a reliable, affordable source of energy that is produced in America for American energy consumers is hopefully going to force a reconsideration of the attack on renewable energy by this Administration, and unfortunately, my colleagues in the House that have legislatively crushed this industry, depriving American consumers of an affordable source of homegrown energy.

Wind power alone will not solve our energy demands, but 700 new megawatts will be surging into New England is undeniable proof that our nation's innovators are building trades union, and the Merchant Mariners are up to the job to power our country in the 21st century.

I yield back.

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